A MAN was brutally beaten and left unconscious for nearly 40 minutes after a gang targeted him in a random attack.

The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, has spoken out about his horrific ordeal after vicious thugs punched, bottled and even threatened to stab him on Grove Road, Rayleigh, just minutes after leaving his sister’s home.

The 36-year-old said: “My sister is a carer, so I was looking after her little boy all day while she was at work. When she got home, just before 10pm, I went for a walk round the block for some fresh air.

“I had literally just left, walked 30 seconds away to the main road and headed towards the high street when I heard a group of kids who looked around 16 or 17 asking me what I was looking at.

“I turned around and saw them chasing towards me, one was swinging at me with a vodka bottle and another shouted to his mate to get his knife out and stab me.

“They just all started hitting me and that’s as far as I can remember, I woke up with the neighbours standing over me and the ambulance service and police were already there.

“I must’ve been unconscious for around 35 to 40 minutes before I woke up.”

The victim worries things could have been much worse, as he managed to escape with two black eyes, a swollen jaw and cuts on his face.

The man from Rayleigh continued: “It’s an absolute joke - we’re meant to be in lockdown and kids are getting drunk and attacking people.

“I’m so thankful the neighbours had shooed them off, I went to Southend Hospital where they checked me over. I don’t know how long they were attacking me for, but it could’ve been so much worse.

“It has shaken me up, especially with it being close to my loved ones.

“I’m an anxious person anyway, but this really has made things worse.”

An Essex Police spokesman said: “We’re appealing for witnesses after a man reported being assaulted by a group of people in Rayleigh on May 17. We were called by the ambulance service at around 10pm after a man was knocked unconscious after getting into an altercation with up to six men.

Call Southend CID on 101 quoting incident 1364 of 17/05.